VISAKHAPATNAM: Wanted Maoist leader and secretary of the banned organisation’s Pedabayulu-Korukonda area committee Vanthala Ramakrishna alias Prabhakar alias Ashok alias Goddali Rayudu was arrested in Alluri district, police said on Tuesday. Besides Ramakrishna’s arrest, the Maoists suffered a further setback when 33 party members and 27 members of the militia, including eight women (in pic), surrendered to the police in Alluri Sitarama Raju district.
The arrested Maoist, an accused in 124 cases, including several murders, registered in the neighbouring Odisha, and East Godavari and Alluri Sitarama Raju districts, was carrying a bounty of Rs 5 lakh on his head. Ramkrishna was allegedly involved in 14 murders, including that of MLA Kidari Sarveswar Rao and former MLA Siveri Soma, Korra Lakshman of Bongajangi, Gemmili Krishnarao of Vakapalli, and others, police said.
Police seized Rs 39 lakh in cash, a landmine, five detonators, one 9 mm pistol along with eight rounds, electrical wire, six batteries and Maoist literature from him.Addressing the media at Paderu, Visakhapatnam Range DIG S Harikrishna said 35-year-old Ramakrishna hailed from Kondrum in Injari panchayat. Pedabayalu police arrested the Maoist while he was proceeding from Kondrum to Injari of Alluri Sitaramaraju district.
Ramakrishna had joined the organisation as a militia member for Kondrum village at the insistence of CPI (Maoist) leader Bhupathi, who later surrendered. The accused later worked as a dalam member, party member, area committee member and area committee secretary. He worked in Malkangiri, Koraput, East Godavari and Alluri Sitaramaraju districts in Andhra Odisha Special Zonal Committee area (AOBSZC) and recruited several militia members. He was involved in several encounters with the police, triggering landmines, the DIG said.
Meanwhile, Alluri district SP S Sateesh Kumar said following Ramakrishna’s arrest his supporters who had been working under his supervision, surrendered before the police. The surrendered included 33 party members and 27 militia members. Kumar said Operation Parivartan and the comfortable life being led by surrendered Maoists influenced militia men to join the mainstream. Several cases are pending against the surrendered members.
“All of them werethreatened to join the CPI (Maoist). Among those surrendered, Anand Sireesha, Gangi, Jeevani, Srikanth, Srinu and some others moved along with the Maoist party, laid landmines and ambushed police parties. They had also set fire to road-laying machinery and cellphone towers, killed tribesmen in Praja courts after branding them as police informers, and committed other offences,’’ the SP added. CRPF 234bn commandant Sanjeev Kumar Divedi, CRPF 198 bn commandant Kaveender Kumar Chand and Paderu CI B Sudhakar were present at the news conference.